Ore roasting furnace



Oct. 13, 1931. c KEATlNG 1,827,526

ORE ROASTING FURNACE Filed Dec. 15, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l gwuenlfor CHGEL. 5 E. KEG r/xvc dam mg Oct; 13, 1931. c. E. KEA'I 'ING ORE ROASTING FURNACE Filed Dec. 15, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwwmtcw CHGEL, E5 5. K50 Tl/VG Oct. 13, 1931. c, E, KEATlNG 1,827,526

ORE ROASTING FURNACE Filed Dec. 15, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 671081.55 .5 K59 T/NG Patented Oct. 13, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. KEATING, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIAN A, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF TO GEORGE E. GOLDIN G, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA ORE ROAS'IING FURNACE I Application filed December 15, 1930. Serial No. 502,285.

'This invention relates to ore roasting furnaces and is particularly an improvement over that form of device shown in my former Patent No. 797,584, issued August 22, 1905, and one feature of the present invention is the provision of means for both agitating and crushing the ore as it passes through the furnace.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means for' conveying alternate sets of stirring and crushing elements through the furnace in an endless procession. A further featureof the invention is in so constructing the carrying elements for said stirring and crushing elements, that they will be disposed in the open and exteriorly of the furnace.

A further feature of the invention is in so constructing the conveying elements for said stirring and crushing elements that they will close the openings through the side walls of the furnace through which the shafts, em-

' ployed for carrying said stirring and crushing elements, project.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a furnace with parts thereof broken out.

7, Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the furnace with parts broken out,-

and,

Figure 3 is a transverse section through the furnaceas seen along line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 1 designates the furnace proper, which is preferably constructed of brick 2 and reinforced with I-beams 3 and 4, the beams 3 extending transversely through the furnace'l, while the beams 4 are arched over the crown portion 5 of the furnace, the outer ends of the beams 3 resting on posts 6.

One or more combustion chambers 7 are formed beneath the floor 8 of the furnace for heating and roasting the ore as it passes over said floor and if desired fuel may-be into the body of the furnace for additionally heating the ore passing through the furnace.

The side walls of the furnace 1 are each provided with a slot 11, in which travel and fit endless sprocket chains 12 said chains passing around sprocket Wheels 13, arranged at opposite ends of the furnace and mounted on shafts 14, one of said shafts being driven in any suitable manner for moving said chains with a continuous movement lengthwise through the slots 11.

At intervals in the length of the chains 12 are shafts 15 and 16 which are spaced substantially uniform distances apart, the shafts 15 being non-rotatable and carrying agitating arms 17, one set of which are arranged to cause the ore through which they are traveling to travel towards the sides of the furnace and the next succeeding set to move the ore towards the center of the furnace, while the shafts 16 are rotatable and carry crushing and mixing elements 18, said shafts 15 and 16 being arranged successively with each other. i

The shafts 15 and 16 project a distance beyond each face of the furnace 1 and have carriages 19 attached thereto, said carriages be ing in turn mounted on endless tracks 20, ,said tracks being so arranged that the agitating and crushing devices will be moved from one end of the furnace to the other over the floor 8 and then pass upwardly around one set of the sprocket wheels and return to the initial end of the furnace in a plane above the furnace and in the open, thus permitting said agitating and crushing devices to become more or less cooled before being again passed through the furnace. The carriages 19 are preferably interlocked with the tracks 20 so that the various shafts attached thereto will be caused to travel in a fixed path and by properly positioning the sprocket chains 12, they will travel in the slots 11 and form closures therefor and prevent undue escape of heat through said slots or entrance. of cold air into the furnace.

In order to rotate the shafts 16 while they are passing through the furnace 1, each of said shafts is provided, at points exteriorly of the furnace, with cogs 21, which mesh with racks 22, fixed along the sides of the furnace and in position to engage the cogs- 21 and cause the shafts 16 to rotate so long as said cogs are in engagement with the racks and the chains are moving forwardly.

The upper portions of the tracks 20 are suspended 1n any suitable manner as by means of a frame structure 23, preferably formed from I-beams. The smoke and fumes from the ore pass from the furnace into a flue 2 1 and these fumes may be gathered and. converted into a by-product, such as muriatic acid if desired.

In operation, ore in its natural state is fed into the path of the agitators and crushers at the initial end of the furnace and is carried into and through the furnace by said elements. The continued agitation of the ore by the arms 17 and the crushing elements 18, will completely pulverize and disintegrate the ore to such an extent that substantially all the foreign particles within the ore will be removed and the ore assay as low as that passed through a manually operated kiln.

As the chains 12 pass lengthwise through the furnace, the arms 17 will agitate and move the ore back and forth laterally of the furnace, while the crushing elements 18 will serve to break up the particles of ore and tend to toss the same in the air so that the foreign particles will more readily separate from the ore.

It will likewise be seen that by providing an elongated furnace structure, the cost of operation and the wear and tear will be reduced to a minimum and the life of the agitating parts will be prolonged by exposing then; to the atmosphere on their return movemen While the description and drawings illustrate in a general way certain instrumentalitles which may be employed in carrying the inventlon into effect, it is evident that many modifications may be made in the various details without departing from the scope of the a pended claims, it being understood. that 't e invention is not restricted'to the particular examples herein described.

What I claim is: v

1. In an ore roasting device, a furnace having slots through the walls thereof shafts passing transversel through said urnace and the slots therein, agitating means carried by said shafts, and flexible means adapted to travel in said slots and cause said shafts to travel lengthwise of the furnace and form closures for said slots, the lower side of said flexible means makin a substantially drafttight joint with the ower edge of said slot, and the upper side of said flexible means making a similar joint with the upper edge of said slot.

2. In an ore roasting device, a furnace structure having slots extending lengthwise of said furnace through the side walls thereof, shafts extending transversely of said furnace and adapted to travel through said slots, and chains adapted to travel within said slots and form closures therefor.

. 3. In an ore roasting device, a furnace structure having upper and lower separated portions, a plurality of agitator shafts extending transversely of the furnace between said portions and adapted to travel through the furnace, wheel and track means on each side of said furnace serving to journal said shafts and carry same, means forrotating said shafts while passing through the furnace, flexible means serving to fill the space between the separated portions of said furnace, said flexible means having holes through which said shafts-extend and rotate, said flexible means serving to draw said shafts laterally through said furnace, the lower side of said flexible means making a substantially draft-tight oint with the lower portion of said furnace and the upper side of said flexible means makinga similar joint with the upper portion of said furnace.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand on this the 22nd day of'November,

CHARLES E. KEATING. 

